Golden Tans to convert to Sun Tan City franchises

Golden Tans of Rochester Inc., which has five tanning salon locations in the area, plans to convert all of its locations to Sun Tan City franchises beginning Jan. 8.

The move is part of a new agreement made by the salons’ owner Rocco Viele, who bought the exclusive franchise rights to Sun Tan City for Monroe County in October.

Sun Tan City is a national chain of privately owned tanning salons, with more than 200 locations in 16 states. The company was founded in 1999 in Louisville and ranked on Inc. magazine’s most recent list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in the nation.

Viele, who founded Golden Tans of Rochester in 1984, will continue to own and operate the Sun Tan City locations, the company said. The salons will offer more products and new equipment, while members will have access to all Sun Tan City locations nationwide.

“Building the Golden Tans brand has been my focus for more than 25 years and under the Sun Tan City name, the only differences you’ll see are more options,” said Viele, in a statement. “It’s the same locations, same great employees and the same owner.”

Viele said current Golden Tans customers will not see a change in their pricing plans, and the salons will continue to offer the same special services such as fit body wraps and teeth whitening.